Ethernet Motion Controller form Galil Used to Control Waterjet Cutter from CNC Machines International

When engineers at CNC Machines International needed a controller for their carpet and artificial-turf water-jet cutters, they used the DMC-2153 five-axis Ethernet unit from Galil Motion Control Inc. One reason was that the DMC could execute the bevel cuts needed to fit logos or other inlays into carpet or turf. The bevel prevents inlays from falling through the base layers. For the water-jet cutter, the XY axis handles linear and circular patterns for the cutting head. The X axis controls the height of the cutting head. And the Y axis controls two motors for the gantry. The fifth or rotary axis keeps the water jet tangent to the X-Y motions for precise cuts. A Mach3 user interface from ArtSoft, Carmel, Maine, translates G-codes into motion commands for the Galil controller. The interface performs all calculations for controlling the five axes using a trajectory planner that feeds the controller a series of linear interpolation commands once every 4 msec. When in operation, the VLF machines cuts at up to 1,200 ipm on carpets as large as 16 × 96 ft with accuracies of 0.01 in.